TITLE: One Step Closer
SERIES: Imperfection, part 13
AUTHOR: Macx
RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: None of the characters belong to me, sadly. They are owned by people with a lot more money
Author's Voice of Warning (aka Author's Note):
English is not my first language; it's German. This is the best I can do. Any mistakes you find in here, collect them and you might win a prize The spell-checker said everything's okay, but you know how trustworthy those thingies are...
FEEDBACK: Loved
There was no missing the sound of powerful engines. Across the flat planes of the abandoned Airforce base came the unmistakable rumble of at least two cars, but not of the run-of-the-mill variant. These were engines belonging to something other than cars built on Earth. These were of an alien origin.
Optimus Prime had stepped outside the Autobot base because he had found none of his men within the huge hangar that was their surface cover. Ironhide was already there, sunlight reflecting off the massive black body. At his side, standing on the low side building that had probably once housed an ancient generator and was now empty, stood Captain Will Lennox, Sergeant Robert Epps and the only civilian on the base, Sam Witwicky. All held binoculars in their hands and were watching something in the distance.
"What's going on?" Prime inquired.
Ironhide turned his head and there was a smirk on his features. "Race."
Prime looked into the distance, following the sound, and he saw a large cloud of dust.
"Jazz's in the lead!" Sam called, sounding excited. "Yeah, go for it, Jazz!"
The roar of the engines came closer and Prime witnessed as a silver Pontiac Solstice shot past no fifty meters from their position, clearly in the lead. He was followed by a yellow Camaro and…
"Barricade?" he blurted.
Ironhide looked strangely relaxed at the fact that the former Decepticon was here, on this base. He shrugged.
Blue and red strobe lights suddenly started flashing, the headlights adding their bright white intervals, and Barricade pulled out of the tail shadow from Bumblebee, accelerating. They went into the tight curve just down the road side by side and Prime felt his energon pump stutter briefly as Bumblebee pulled to the right, brushing against Barricade and nearly upsetting the Saleen's flight. Barricade doggedly stayed on his course, their fenders scraping against each other, then the police car shot past.
"Phew!" Lennox could be heard. "Man, that was close."
Prime let his optics focus on the three cars that were now taking the old airstrip down to the other end of the base and bouncing over the uneven pavement. The base hadn't been in use by humans for a very long time and nature had started to reclaim it. There was spindly grass growing out of tears and cracks in the tarmac and sand had blown over every surface, but that was of no consequence to the racers.
Jazz had apparently slowed down somewhat, letting the two fighters catch up. Bumblebee wasn't ready to give in to the other mechanoid and he was trying to keep Barricade from overtaking. His top speed was less than Barricade's – both were no match for Jazz – but he was continuously blocking the road. Opposed to Barricade's speed, Bumblebee was highly maneuverable and the zig-zagging in front of the police cruiser didn't even slow him down.
Barricade's ramming bars scraped yellow paint off his bumper. A sharp maneuver took out a braking light, but it also got Barricade into trouble. He had to veer off, almost took out a scraggly tree, and swerved unevenly back onto the road.
The sirens shrieked in indignation and anger. Engine howling, the Saleen tore after the Camaro once more.
"Now he's gone and done it," Ironhide rumbled, but he didn't look like he was about to go after the former Decepticon.
Prime watched as Barricade shot toward his opponent once more, then dodged to the left. Bumblebee countered, but that was what Barricade had apparently been hoping for. With a slick maneuver he literally scraped past the Camaro on the right side, taking the wing mirror with him. As maneuverable as Bumblebee was, he didn't risk kicking both of them off the road by pushing back. He had to relent, but he had yet to give up.
Optimus didn't know if his audio receptors played a trick, but he thought he heard laughter. Not the vicious, dark laughter of victory, but something along the lines of exhilaration.
Bumblebee was trying to gain on his opponent and Barricade employed the same technique the Camaro had before – he blocked the road left and right, anticipating each move. Ahead of them Jazz was racing full speed, a spec in the distance. It didn't matter to his two pursuers, though. They were busy fighting for second place.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
Jazz was the first to make it to what probably doubled as a finish line. His speakers were blaring loud rock music, like a triumphant hymn.
Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
With squealing tires he performed a donut, black rubber steaming on the tarmac. Transforming, he pumped a fist into the air.
Like a true nature child
We were born
Born to be wild
"Hah! Win!"
Two cars shot past him, nose to nose, and Bumblebee braked hard, turned around and rolled almost at a docile pace to his friend. He transformed, dust falling off his formerly yellow armor. Now it was clearly in need of a good washing, as well as a few minor repairs.
Barricade, lights still flashing, a clear indication of his excitement, rumbled deeply.
"No surprise there," he could be heard and stopped next to his companion. "Now shut off that infernal music."
The former Decepticon transformed, just as badly in need of a car wash and fixing as all of them, and there was a brightness to his optics that spoke of energon racing through his systems. The police lights had stopped flashing, though.
"Next time I'll give you a head start of ten seconds," Jazz laughed, sounding giddy.
"As if!" Bumblebee called. "You wouldn't be able to stop from going after us the moment we took off!"
"Aw, Bee, jealous? I'm one mean racin' machine!" Jazz moonwalked to the rhythm of a burst of music from a local station.
"Hot head," Barricade muttered.
"Fastest, hottest, slickest bot this side of the galaxy," Jazz crowed.
The Decepticon shook his head, but the amusement couldn't be missed. "I still wonder how you made it to First Lieutenant."
"Aw, baby, you're just not cut out to understand. Trade secret. And you enjoyed yourself, too," Jazz purred.
Barricade gave Bumblebee an appraising look. "You learned to play dirty, Autobot. I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you."
"This time it was a fair match on both sides," Bumblebee replied pointedly. "You didn't just act. You played for real."
Barricade chuckled, remembering the encounter just shortly after he, Starscream and Blackout had come to Earth. He had race-fought against Bumblebee back then, pretending to lose and let him run. It had been a clever plan to have Bumblebee find the Allspark or clues to it for them.
"This time was different."
"In a lot of ways," Bumblebee agreed. "You didn't try to chase of kill anyone. You didn't attack me…"
"You did that for me," Barricade answered.
"It wasn't an attack!"
"You cut me off."
"You were in the way, I tried to get past, live with it! It was a race! This happens when racing."
"And you call Decepticons underhanded and sneaky."
"It was a valid maneuver."
"Well, I prefer this to you bashing your heads in," a new voice could be heard and Ratchet approached them. "Aside from a good wash-down you seem to be functional."
He had been followed by Ironhide and the presence of the weapons specialist had Barricade tense. He made no aggressive moves, but it was clear that he was no longer relaxed.
"You kids haven't learned it yet?" the larger robot rumbled. "You can't beat Jazz in a fair race."
Ratchet shot him a sharp look. "Ironhide! I don't want them looking like demolition derby rejects because you provoked another race!"
"You'd have to catch me first," Jazz piped up. "
"Hot heads," Ratchet muttered.
"Speed is not everything," Barricade told the silver Autobot levelly.
"I didn't see you catching up to me, 'Cade."
"I was busy."
Bumblebee looked amused. "Did you think me beating you back then was a fluke?"
A snarl could be heard, but Barricade didn't comment. The loss of the fight at the old railyard still stung. Especially against an Autobot he saw as inferior.
"If you start turning each other into scrap yard rejects, don't come running to me for repairs," Ratchet interrupted them.
"I wouldn't think of it," Barricade snapped acidly.
°° °° °° °°
Optimus watched the bickering – and it was just that: bickering – from the sidelines. It was amazing, he mused. Especially when one stood back and watched the interaction between the so different mechanoids. All of them, even Ironhide, despite his protests, had come to accept Barricade in one manner or another. He was part of their little team. A drifting part because he sometimes came closer, then moved away again, but a part. Ironhide would complain about security risks, but on the other hand he threw Barricade in with Jazz and Bumblebee when it came to the 'kids', the younger Cybertronians.
Ratchet was a medic through and through. He wouldn't let someone suffer, be it Autobot, Decepticon or human. He would treat whoever needed his help. Barricade was reluctant to accept it, but he didn't turn away either.
Bumblebee hadn't voiced any complaints, but he was careful around Barricade when they met, which was far and few, and he always protected Sam first. That Barricade had saved his charge had earned the Mustang big bonus points. Ironhide still suspected a nether purpose, but Bumblebee had accepted it as a fact: Barricade was starting to care. In his own, slightly twisted and rough kind of way.
"He's becoming a part of this, hm?" Lennox said, startling Prime out of his thoughts.
The Autobot looked at the human next to him. "Yes, he is. Kicking and screaming, as you humans would say."
"Snarling and biting everyone's head off is more like it," the captain laughed. "But he's making an effort. In his own way."
Optimus nodded. Yes, he was. Barricade would never be able to return to the Decepticons and Prime doubted he would. His loyalty had been to Megatron, who had betrayed him by killing Jazz. Barricade wouldn't forget that. It was what had sealed his decision to defect.
"You think he'll ever come to trust you guys?" Will asked, sounding contemplative.
"Millennia of animosity and fighting don't vanish within a few months, Will," Optimus replied. "Barricade trusts Jazz and it doesn't matter who Jazz is affiliated with."
"Because they share kind of the same energy resonance?"
"Yes. It's absolute trust and knowledge. You cannot betray, lie or cover up when sharing. It is the reason why I never asked Jazz to cut all ties with his companion, even throughout the war. Nothing Barricade did or said would hurt Jazz."
"What if they had faced off in battle?" Lennox asked, picking out the one situation Optimus knew would have been the ultimate test.
He told the human captain just that.
"It never happened," Prime added. "I'm glad it didn't. As for the future, we can only watch and wait. Barricade is making the first steps in any encounter. That he came here to let go and unwind, to use one of your terms, was a small victory."
Lennox nodded and slung the binoculars over one shoulder. "I always said this is one weird team," he commented.
Prime did a good imitation of raising an eye brow.
"I get stuck with Airforce, Army Rangers and ex-Sector 7 guys. You have a former Decepticon on your team, who doesn't even know you count him in on it already. Ironhide, too. He mostly complains about him, but now and then he makes this general inclusion he isn't even aware of."
"Very observant," the Autobot leader lauded.
"Hey, I didn't make Captain because I'm a pretty face," Lennox chuckled.
"I heard you're getting a promotion, too."
Will shrugged. "Keller told me he feels that a Captain might be viewed as disagreeable with what I'm doing. Slapping the rank Major on me would at least keep some big shots away. He would have gone for Lieutenant Colonel if there wasn't such a thing as protocol. Actually, it doesn't matter what rank I have, Prime. I answer only to him. I outrank others by that simple fact."
"As within every military structure, rank and name amount for a small part, too."
"Like you wouldn't believe Jazz is your First Lieutenant if not for the rank?" Will teased.
Optimus chuckled. "Possibly."
He held out his hand and Lennox stepped on it, letting himself get lowered to the ground. Epps and Sam were already there, waiting. The boy was bouncing on the balls of his feet, waiting for Bumblebee. The Camaro spotted his charge and walked over, smiling even though he had no visible mouth.
"Car wash," Sam decided, giving the Autobot a critical once-over. "The full program. Probably twice."
"It's not that bad," Bumblebee argued as he transformed and opened one door.
"Huh," Sam only murmured and got in.
They were off and heading for Tranquility five seconds later.
Optimus chuckled and watched as Barricade, who had kept back and probably one very close optic on every move Ironhide made, and Jazz transform, too. Both cars drove almost leisurely past the group, Jazz playing rock music again, Barricade rumbling quietly, and then followed the road Bumblebee had taken to Tranquility.
"Car wash'll be busy," Epps remarked, grinning.
"Yep. How about, Ironhide?" Lennox called.
"Don't you have reports to write?" the mechanoid asked pointedly.
"I'm ready to pay for the full program."
"Reports."
"Wax and shine," Lennox replied.
"Deadline," Ironhide argued as he walked after the human.
"Hot water bliss," was the retort.
Optimus shook his head and went back into the base, leaving the two to their banter. Ratchet followed, as did Epps, who mumbled something about a certain captain and reports not going well together.
Yes, things were changing around here. And definitely in a good way.